ZAGREB, 14 June 2022 - Only 16% of senior high school students in Croatia have any basic knowledge about contraceptive methods, which has prompted the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) to launch an awareness campaign about sexual and reproductive health.

The preliminary results of a survey, conducted by the HZJZ in the last school year on a sample of 1,208 senior high school students from across Croatia, show that 355 students (29.3%) had some kind of sexual intercourse. Of the 355 sexually active students, only 57 (16%) had basic knowledge of contraceptive methods.

In an effort to provide young people with access to accurate and verified information, the HZJZ is organising a campaign from 15 June to 4 September as part of the Healthy Life project with Sanja Musić Milanović as the project leader.

"The campaign is focusing on young people, who are often faced with confusing and contradictory information from unreliable sources," the HZJZ said in a press release.

The national campaign will involve prevention messages that will be displayed on info panels, in locker rooms, on beaches and on posters in pharmacies throughout Croatia.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of all citizens, especially young people, about the importance of preserving and improving sexual and reproductive health.

This year's campaign will provide online education through posts and quizzes on social networks. Prizes will be awarded for the most original photos, videos and slogans, as well as for the fastest correct answers in the quizzes.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

July 31, 2021 - One more medal for Croatia, and not from Tokyo, after Lovro Mirković, a high school student from Zagreb, won a bronze medal at the International Biology Olympiad.

As reported by Index.hr, four Croatian high school students participated in the 32nd International Biological Olympiad, which took place from 18 to 23 July, and Lovro Mirković from the XV Grammar School in Zagreb won a bronze medal, announced the Faculty of Science in Zagreb.

Students Lukas Grbac Lacković from the Vladimir Prelog School of Natural Sciences in Zagreb, David Špiljak from the Andrija Mohorovičić High School in Rijeka, and 2nd-grade students Đurđica Kovačić from the III High School in Split and Lovro Mirković from the XV High School in Zagreb took part in the Olympiad.

Lovro Mirković won the bronze medal with 77.5 percent of the exam, while Lukas Grbac Lacković received an award for an exceptional result of 70.3 percent.

This year, Mirković also won one gold medal at the EOES (European Olympiad in Experimental Science) and participated in Mendeleev's Chemistry Olympiad.

"Four representatives were selected on the basis of exclusion testing, which took place on May 30. This year, students were trained by professors and students of the Department of Biology at the Faculty of Science from July 12 to 17. The leaders of the Croatian team were Andreja Lucic and Petra Cvjetko", read the publication.

The International Biology Olympiad (IBO) has been held every year since 1990, and this year it was organized online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Croatia participated in the IBO 2018 in Iran, 2019 in Hungary, and this year (when it was to be held in Portugal), and we have a total of 4 bronze medals and one silver. This year's Olympics was attended by 77 countries with 304 competitors ", reads the announcement.

The host country of the next Biological Olympiad is Armenia.

The exam consisted of two theoretical and three practical parts, but this year due to the online environment it had only one theoretical and one theoretical-practical part, which were physically held at the biological department of the Faculty of Science.

For more, follow our Made in Croatia section.